Potter wasps, the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group presently treated as a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.
Eumenes is a genus of wasps in the subfamily Eumeninae. It is a large and widespread genus, with over 100 species and subspecies occurring worldwide. The genus was first proposed by Pierre André Latreille in 1802, with the type species later designated by Latreille in 1810. All species make jug-like nests out of mud, usually attached to twigs. The larvae are fed with caterpillars.
Plagiolabra is a neotropical genus of potter wasps currently containing 2 species found in the Gran Chaco biogeographical province of central South America, in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
Alastor is a Palearctic, Indomalayan and Afrotropical genus of potter wasps, primarily found in tropical Africa. It is divided into the 4 subgenera Alastor, Alastorellus, Megalastor and Parastalor.
Synagris is an Afrotropical genus of large potter wasps. Several Synagris wasps are strongly sexually dimorphic and males bear notable morphological secondary sexual traits including metasomal lamellar or angular protruding structures and hornlike or tusklike mandibular and/or clypeal projections.
Delta is an Old World genus of potter wasps with species predominantly distributed through tropical Africa and Asia. Some species are present in the Palearctic region, and a few have been introduced in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The members of this genus have a long metasomal petiole, like members of the genera Eumenes and Zeta.
Katamenes is a genus of potter wasps with species distributed in Europe and Africa. When originally named by Edmund Meade-Waldo, Katemenes was monotypic, containing only K. watsoni, but other species have since been moved from Eumenes to Katamenes.
Stenonartonia is a South American genus of potter wasps. The 15 known species of Stenonartonia are distributed across forested areas east of the Andes, with diversity concentrated on two areas: the Amazon basin and South-eastern Brazil. The distribution of Stenonartonia apicipennis seems to correspond with the distribution of the semideciduous dry forest system that crosses diagonally between the two above cited areas. Stenonartonia belongs to a group of genera with axillary fossa tending to be closed by the nearby structures. Those species in the group of Stenonartonia polybioides have further developed transparent pockets visible under the surface of the scutellum. Symbiotic mites get sheltered into those pockets and are sometimes visible under the cuticle.
Knemodynerus is a genus of potter wasps distributed through the Palearctic, Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Australasian regions. The species currently classified in the genus are:
Leptomenes is a mainly Afrotropical genus of potter wasps. It was previously a much larger genus, though many species have been transferred to other genera such as Eumenidiopsis, Stroudia, and Tachymenes.
Eumenidiopsis is an afrotropical genus of Afrotropical potter wasps with eight known species, which are set out below:
Extreuodynerus is an Afrotropical genus of potter wasps with a single described species Extreuodynerus mirificus.
Gioiella is an afrotropical genus of potter wasps with three described species.
Ischnogasteroides is an Afrotropical and Palearctic genus of potter wasps. It currently includes the following species:
Zetheumenidion is a small afrotropical genus of potter wasps currently containing 11 species, one of them previously with two subspecies. The species are distributed through southern and eastern Africa.
Emeryrhynchium is a monotypical afrotropical genus of potter wasps known from Equatorial Africa. Its only known species is Emeryrhynchium emeryanus.
Katamenes arbustorum is a species of potter wasp in the subfamily Eumeninae of the family Vespidae.
Rhynchium brunneum is a species of potter wasp found in Asia. Across the wide distribution range, they show considerable variation in the patterning and several subspecies have been described, including:
Symmorphus cristatus is a species of mason wasp in the subfamily Eumeninae within the family Vespidae. This species is widely distributed in North America, and it preys on the larvae of leaf beetles.
Delta esuriens is a species of potter wasp found in tropical Asia, belonging to the Vespidae family. They can be separated from the similar looking Delta pyriforme by the presence of a yellow band on the metasomal petiole segment.
